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Your mind would probably auto-suggest “WordPress” when you are planning to build a new business website. Recently, the release of WordPress Version 4.9.4 has also encouraged more brands and start-ups to resort to this platform. Creating WordPress sites is simple. However, the real challenge lies in optimizing it for SEO and search engine ranking.
According to SEO experts, the new version of this content management system is an appropriate option for the ones who want to experiment with out of the box SEO ideas. Interestingly, there is an opportunity to graduate from “apt” to an “excellent” choice since SEO has now acquired a new dimension that is beyond just stuffing keywords. Over the past decade, SEO has evolved significantly and will keep on doing so in the future as well.
However, when it comes to SEO for WordPress, the cut-off quality is not that of an expert, but you do need to engage in active research to narrow down on the best tactics that will yield the favorable results. Discussed below are some useful SEO techniques for WordPress sites.
1. The difference between a non-www and www domain name
Before launching your new website, the obvious question that will pop up in your mind is whether to stick to the standard www domain or not. You might also be keen to know how it impacts WordPress SEO. For a typical SMB, there is probably no noticeable difference, but there are some technical nuances that may play a role in determining the site’s ranking. That does not indicate that companies or individuals should invariably select a non-www domain. There are two reasons why people still use a www domain.
First, having a www domain has been the norm. The reason to still opt for it is that many companies feel changing the standard format after years might just involve some additional issues. Also, since most sites start with www, it acts as a known reference point even for private networks.
Second, organizations that attract a high volume of traffic continue using www because of DNS. The naked domains in non-www form cannot own a CNAME record that is used to redirect the web traffic for failover. In the recent times, SEO experts have taken up this case and are working on it as well.
2. Go ahead and get an XML sitemap plug-in installed
It is essential to have an XML sitemap plug-in installed on your WordPress blogs. Adding all the links to the different pages of the site in a sitemap in .xml format allows search engines to index the content of the website easily and quickly. An apt WordPress plug-in to generate and also update sitemaps is the Google XML Sitemaps.
3. Make sure to go for caching plug-in to add speed to the site
Every WordPress site should have a caching plug-in! It is usually instrumental in two aspects. First, it makes the website function fast. Secondly, it helps to minimize the web server load. Majority of the caching plug-ins usually cache the dynamic and static content to reduce the time for page loading. One fantastic tool for this is theW3 Total Cache. This plug-in is packed with features like object caching, minimizationchoices, browser caching and database caching. Another option is the WP Super Cache that produces and caters to the static.html pages to make the WordPress sites work fast.
4. Make sure to block every spam comment
Spam comments are detrimental to your blog. They do not add any value at all. Moreover, just in case you have a blog on the prominent eateries in the city and someone posts a comment stating “cheap flights to Dubai,” it will have a negative impact on the search engine. The new WordPress version enables users to no-follow the links that users post in their comments. Today, you have the advantage of averting any spam comment being published on your site. You can use Akismet or other spam removal tools for that.
5. Focus on the keyword right in your first paragraph
That is a must! The main reason is that Google crawls site content right from top to bottom. So, when it finds your keyword right at the start, it adds up to the relevance of your content.
WordPress is considered to be the most prominent CMS round the globe. Recent statistics reveal that as many as 75 million websites have used it and the number is increasing. When managed effectively, it gives an edge to your brand which adds up to your online rankings. If you want to implement a compact SEO plan for your WordPress site, you must follow the points mentioned above.
Author Bio: Derek Iwasiuk is a professional blogger in SEO and marketing niche. Being an avid traveler and reader, he also writes on various topics such as food, social media, travel destination, private networks, website hosting and SEO. He does in-depth research and adds his personal experience to make his posts engaging and informative.
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